Miscellany
by thoughtsthatfester
Summary: A series of one-shots featuring Lizzie Bennet and William Darcy. LBD
1. Chapter 1

"Will," she said shaking him awake, "William."

"What?" he asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "Do you need me to run out and get you ice cream or something else you're craving?"

"No, Will," she said biting her lips to hold in tears, "Something is wrong. It really hurts," she said her voice breaking and tears starting to flow.

"Shit." He says jumping out to bed, pulling on anything he can find and asking her what she needs.

"I'm good. Let's just go, now," she says climbing out of bed, clutching her stomach as she tries to contain her tears.

He nods then grabs her hand to help her down the stairs, out of the house and into his car. He breaks nearly a dozen traffic laws as he speeds to the hospital. After she's checked in, she shoos him away so the doctor can examine her and he can call her sister. She doesn't pick up until the last ring.

"Darcy?" she asks. It's clear that he's woken her up.

"Jane, you have to get to the hospital right now. There- there's something wrong with Lizzie and the baby," he says, his voice breaking.

"I'll be right there," she tells him, "And Will, Bing is working tonight. Call him and he'll be right there. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Jane," he says before hanging up to call Bing. By the time he's off the phone the doctor is done with Lizzie's examination and he's allowed back in.

No one even has to tell him. When he enters the room Lizzie is sobbing and the doctor is giving them both a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry," he begins, and Darcy squeezes his wife's hand, "these things happen. Things are progressing on their own, but I'd liked to keep you overnight for observation. I'm going to prescribe you some painkillers for when you are released tomorrow.

"Wi-Will I be able to conceive again?" she asks squeezing her husband's hand as hard as she can.

"You're young and healthy so you shouldn't have a problem," he says.

As the doctor leaves, Bing enters, "Lizzie, Will, I'm so sorry. Jane just called a minute ago. She's on her way up."

"I'm here," she says entering the room. She waddles through the door over to Lizzie. She hugs her as tightly and closely as she can through the barrier of her seven months pregnant stomach, "I'm so sorry, sweetie."

Bing's pager goes off and he gives his apologies before running off to deal with a patient. Darcy's stroking Lizzie's hair as Jane tries to make conversation. Lizzie gives her monosyllable responses as she stares blankly ahead.

"Should I call Mom and Dad?" Jane finally asks.

"No, they didn't know," she replies, snapping out of her monosyllabic trance, "I only told you and Gigi. Shit," she swears, "Will, can you call Gigi and tell her?"

"Of course," he says kissing her temple before excusing himself to make the call.

"She was so excited to be an aunt," she chokes out grabbing Jane's hand, "she's going to be so disappointed."

"Sweetie, don't worry about people being disappointed."

"But Will was so excited. He went out the day I told him and he got this little onesie. Oh Jane, we wanted this so badly."

"It's going to be okay. You know I'm here for you whenever you need me," she says squeezing her sister's hand, "Are you sure that you don't want me to call mom?"

"No please don't," she sighs, "I don't, I just don't want to hear a lecture from her about disappointing my husband and her by not giving her grandbabies."

"Mom would never say that. You're not a disappointment," she begins, but is cut off by Darcy entering the room.

"Gigi sends her love," he said returning to his wife's bedside.

"Jane, why don't you go home and get some sleep. You look exhausted."

"But Lizzie-" she begins.

"No, it's fine. Really. Will's here. Go get some sleep. You can come over tomorrow when I'm home."

"Alright," she concedes, "If you're sure," she gathers her stuff, before heading home to get some rest.

Darcy pulled up a chair next to her bed and sat down, clasping her hand between his, "I love you so much Elizabeth."

"I love you too," she said tears pricking her eyes.

They feel asleep with their fingers intertwined and tears staining both their cheeks. When Bing returned from dealing with his patient, he found them like this. It was the middle of the night after all.

When she was allowed to go home the next day, Darcy was so perfect about everything, not that it made much of a difference. There was nothing he could do to make her feel better. Only time could do that. Less than twenty-four hours before they had been happily expecting their first child, and now, they weren't. Everyone told her that things would be okay. And they would be, with time.


	2. Chapter 2

She's told the woman she's replacing left to raise her family. She hopes that she isn't here that long. It's not like she's planning to be a secretary forever, although she's not sure if anyone plans to be.

When she shows up on her first day, she's blown away by how awesome Pemberley Digital is. She hasn't even reached her new boss's office when she understands why a secretary would stay here for years.

The first thing she notices about her boss is that she is a very pale redhead. The second thing she notices is how beautiful the rings on her left hand ring finger are. She can't help but stare at the antique looking engagement ring with the giant rock and the diamond encrusted wedding band. The third thing she notices is that despite the wedding rings, she goes by Ms. Bennet, Ms. Lizzie Bennet. She's an attractive woman, she notices. She's probably in her later twenties or early thirties (she's never been good at estimating ages). She's well dressed and very friendly. She likes her very much.

She learns even more about Lizzie Bennet in her first week working for her. She sees that she's happier when she comes into work a little late, although she supposes anyone would be happier with a little more sleep. She learns that Lizzie gets her own coffee in the morning, but sends her to the Starbucks in the lobby at least twice a day. She learns that her favorite drink is an iced caramel macchiato and she goes to lunch with her husband every day.

She's never met her boss's husband, or even seen a picture of him. The only thing she knows about him is that his name is Will. He sends his wife flowers all of the time. She always peeks are the card although it never says more than _I love you xo Will_ or _I miss you xo Will_. She thinks it's incredibly sweet.

Another thing she learns is that the CEO, Mr. Darcy, requests to see her boss a lot. She figures that Lizzie but be getting reprimanded during her visits because she always comes back flushed and flustered.

"I think Mr. Darcy really has it out for my boss," she tells the other secretaries from her department at lunch one day.

"What do you mean?" an older secretary asks her, eying her with a look she can't place.

"Well," she starts, looking at her captive audience of video development secretaries, "she gets called up to his office, a lot. Well, at least more than anyone else in the department. And she always comes back all flustered and disheveled." Some of the secretaries look as though they're about to laugh.

"That's very interesting," the older woman tells her reassuringly.

Two months into the job she finds out that Lizzie is pregnant. She doesn't say anything, but she is glowing. She is glowing, and she's changed her order from coffee to herbal tea. And she sneaks out for doctor's appointments in the middle of the day.

She doesn't officially announce it for another two months. What she finds most surprising is that all of Pemberley Digital seems genuinely happy for her boss.

A month later, she finds out why. Lizzie shows up to work at 9:45 and tells her not to let her husband in no matter what he tells her. She doesn't give it a second thought when Mr. Darcy arrives. She sends him right in.

She's updating Lizzie's schedule when she storms out of the office, "I told you not to send in my husband," she says exasperated as Mr. Darcy follows her out.

"Ms. West," Darcy begins, "Elizabeth will be working from home for the next few months. I request that you don't allow her into the office, instead just send her work to her."

She's sitting at her desk with a confused expression on her face.

"Will," Lizzie starts, "there is no reason that I can't work from the office. You don't have to be so overprotective all of the time."

Suddenly everything clicks. "You two are married," she realizes, "Mr. Darcy is your husband?" she asks incredulously.

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew," Lizzie laughs. The normally stoic Mr. Darcy chuckles too.

"You must have thought I was harassing her. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable," Darcy begins.

"No need to apologize," she says. She's still in shock that she completely missed the fact that her boss of five months is married to the CEO of the company.

"Right," he says and he and Lizzie return to her office for a few minutes, emerging with a stack of paperwork.

"I'll call you about coordinating with the office and rearranging my schedule," she says following her husband out the door, presumably headed home.

She's not sure how she stayed ignorant for so long. All the signs were there. She's absolutely certain that no one has ever been as embarrassed as she feels right now, or as clueless either.


	3. Chapter 3

They waited until they were out of the country to tell Mrs. Bennet they're pregnant. They're lying on a beach in Buenos Aires when they hit the four-month mark (they wanted to play it safe after what happened before). Lizzie is wearing SPF 100 and still feels like she's getting sunburn.

"Am I burnt?" she asks him for the seventh time. He looks up from the book he's been reading (he's only allowed to check emails and work when she's napping before dinner, which is something she does a lot now) to see that she doesn't have the slightest hint of a burn or a tan.

"You're not even a little pink."

"I feel like I am," she whines.

"Would you like me to put more lotion on your back and shoulders?" he asks with a hint of smugness in his voice.

"Yes please," she says sitting up and handing him the lotion. When she sits, he can see the noticeable swell of her stomach, the first hints of a baby bump. As he's lotioning her back she tells him, "Enjoy this now. This may be the last time I'll ever wear a bikini."

"Nonsense," he replies, "Jane still wears one."

"I'm not Jane," she says. Her voice slips into an imitation of her sister, "Oh. My. God. Lizzie. Losing the baby weight was so not a problem. Between breast feeding and being naturally perfect and rainbows and happiness it was so easy."

"You're ridiculous," he tells her.

"I know. Will?" her expression becomes completely serious, "Will you still love me if I get really fat?"

"I don't know why you'd even have to ask. Of course I would."

"I'm sorry," she says choking up, "now I'm really sorry. It's these stupid pregnancy hormones. Oh god, I'm turning into my mother," she says fanning her face to stop the tears. She gets herself under control and snuggles into his shoulder.

"Speaking of your mother, when are you going to call her and tell her our news?"

"How about now?" she says pulling her phone out of the beach bag. She hits 'mom' and puts the phone on speaker. Her mother answers on the second ring.

"Lizzie, dear, why are you calling me now? You should be working on making me a grandbaby. Charles needs a cousin."

"Hi mom," she smirks.

"Lizzie, where is that husband of yours? I do hope he's not working.

"Hello Mrs. Bennet," he chimes in.

"Hello William dear. Now I know y'all think I'm kidding about the grandbabies, but I assure you that I'm very serious," she drawls.

"Mom, that's actually what we wanted to tell you. We're having a baby."

"Oh bless your hearts!" she squeals, "It's about time. Oh Lord I'm so happy. Another grandbaby! Mr. Bennet! Oh Mr. Bennet!" she calls, "Excuse me dearies. You get back to your vacation. I have to tell everyone."

"Goodbye mom."

"Goodbye" Darcy adds.

"Oh goodbye darlings," she says before hanging up.

"That wasn't so bad," Darcy started.

"I mean, we did travel across the world just so we didn't have to tell her in person."

"It wasn't as bad as her reaction to Charles."

"Nothing will ever be as bad as that," she says snuggling back into her husband's side.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: From this point forward the one-shots won't necessarily be in order.**

She doesn't know why she feels uncomfortable on her first day at work. Pemberley Digital should feel like home, but it feels foreign to her. The other new employees in her department are standing with her in HR. They are nervous about getting lost in such a large building. That's not what she's nervous about.

Mrs. Reynolds is going to take them down to their new workspaces and get them settled. That's where they're headed when they run into him. He's in a slim fitted Harris Tweed suit, with suspenders and a skinny tie. He looks like a (hipster) college professor.

"Mr. Darcy," Mrs. Reynolds begins, "these are the new employees. This is Ms. Alice Walker, Ms. Kate Saunders, and you already know Ms. Bennet," she smiles.

"Hello, and welcome to Pemberley. I hope you're finding everything alright. If you have any questions," he tells them, "I'm sure Elizabeth would be happy to help you."

She feels her cheeks get hot; she's sure she's gone pink. She's paranoid everyone has figured it out already, "I shadowed Pemberley Digital for my thesis," she clarifies.

"If you'll excuse me," Darcy says looking at his watch, "I have a conference call."

He disappears down the hall and Mrs. Reynolds tells them that he's the CEO. Lizzie can tell from the looks on the other girls' faces that they're shocked that the CEO knew exactly who a grad student was. Her stomach churns and she regrets eating eggs, eggs her boyfriend served to her naked in bed this morning.

Mrs. Reynolds takes them to their cubicles and introduces them to their managers and the editors they'll be working with. Not long after Mrs. Reynolds takes her leave the gossip begins.

"Holy crap," Alice starts, "I had no idea that the CEO would be so hot."

"I know, although he could totally be gay. Did you see what he was wearing? I don't know too many straight guys who wear their suits cut so slim," Kate adds, "Lizzie, it seemed like you two knew each other. Spill. What do you know about him?"

What does she know about him? Well, he sleeps on the left side of the bed. He's been taking care of his sister and a company for almost a decade. He's not an arrogant asshole; he's just shy. He wears contacts most of the time, but when he doesn't he goes for his hipster glasses. He's always loved wearing scarves (especially in the summer) and he wears them even more now because she loves to leave marks on his neck. Oh, and he's madly in love with her. "Not much," she tells them. It's not totally a lie. She could spend a lifetime with him (she's planning on it) and still not know everything there is to know about William Darcy. "His best friend is dating my sister."

"Is he single?" Alice asks.

"No," she says at first, territorial about her boyfriend, "well I'm pretty sure he has a girlfriend," she adds, "I'm almost positive."

"Okay," Kate says. They drop the subject.

She's confidant she'll be able to hide her relationship with William Darcy long enough to establish herself at Pemberley Digital without being known as his girlfriend. Eventually she knows she'll have to come clean, but for now she is confidant she can hide it. She's confidant until Gigi shows up to take her to lunch.

"Lizzie," she says strolling in oblivious to the other occupants of the cubicles, "Come on, Will said you wouldn't let him fulfill his boyfriend duties of taking you to lunch on your first day, so I'm stepping in," Alice and Kate are staring, "I got his credit card," she says producing a black card. She finally notices Alice and Kate, who have abandoned their work, "Hi, I'm Gigi Darcy," she introduces herself.

Lizzie is frozen in shock over Gigi's appearance and subsequent reveal of her relationship with Will. She can see that Alice and Kate's jaws have dropped, "Gigi," she squeaks out.

"What?" she asks, oblivious to what she's just done, "oh, oh my God, I'm so sorry. I just realized why you didn't want Will to take you out. Wow, I'm really sorry."

"Let's just go," Lizzie said grabbing her purse and jacket. She's panicking. The relationship came out in less than four hours. She's screwed.

When she returns from lunch an hour later, calmed down my Gigi and later Will after Gigi told him what happened, she returns to the smirking faces of Alice and Kate. She briefly considers running up to her boyfriend's office and getting a change of office, but she decides against it. She wants a future with Darcy, she has a future with Darcy, and it would be impossible for that to happen in secret. Everyone was bound to find out someday. She just wishes it wasn't on her first day.


	5. Chapter 5

"I think I've got you pegged," she tells hum one night. They're sitting at the kitchen counter, glasses of wine in hand.

"What do you mean?" he asks taking a sip, "I thought you already had me figured out."

"No, no. I have you figured out _now. _I've been trying to figure out how you were in high school," she clarifies. Her cheeks are red from the wine and she's feeling talkative.

"Oh," he says, "What do you think I was like in high school?"

"I think you were a lot like you are now. I think that you were quiet but I think that goes without saying. I think you were that kid who never spoke in class except to say something brilliant. But I also think that you would be that kid who was silently hilarious. Like you would make comments under your breath and only the kids seated near you would know how funny you were."

"Sounds about right," he says grabbing her hand.

"But that's not all," she says, "I think you were an over-achiever."

"Of course I was on overachiever. I did go to Harvard." Months ago she would have seen this as arrogance but she knows he's just stating a fact. He doesn't say anything less than what he means.

"What I'm trying to say is that I think you devoted all of your time to diving and had no time for girls."

"I didn't devote all of my time to diving; I did play other sports at school." He's not exactly denying the no girls thing.

"What else did you play?" he doesn't talk about his childhood or school (because talking about it means talking about Wickham) so she doesn't want to let this opportunity go to waste.

"In the Fall there was water polo-"

"You played water polo?" she practically scoffs (and laughs).

"If you're a California boy going to school out on the East coast, it's almost a requirement that you play water polo," he's being funny, but she doesn't entirely get the boarding school humor.

"Okay, so there was water polo and diving, what else?" she asks after giving him a smile to show she appreciated his humor.

"In the spring there was crew," he states.

"Oh my God. Will, you're so prep school. I can't even handle it," she laughs downing the rest of her wine.

"Don't laugh," he smiles, "Prep school was one of the greatest periods of my life. I enjoyed playing multiple sports. Having to focus only on diving in college was hard sometimes. And I love New England. San Francisco will always be home but there is nothing like Fall in New England."

"I'd like to see it," she tells him.

"I'd like that too. I have a reunion coming up, if you'd like to join me. I think I'd like you to see where I went to school."

The alcohol gives her the courage to ask him what she's wanted to since they started this conversation, "Willyouexpectourkidstogotobo ardingschool?" she blurts out.

"What?" he blinks; he hasn't heard the question.

"Will you expect our kids, I mean if we have kids, well, would you expect them to go to boarding school?"

"Umm," he fidgets, "Well I always just assumed that they would. The men in my family all went to Eton back in England and then when they came over, everyone was sent to Exeter. It's tradition."

"I don't exactly know how I feel about a tradition that would send my children to Massachusetts so young," she says. They're all about honesty and communicating effectively.

"New Hampshire," he corrects, "Exeter is in New Hampshire."

"Regardless," she sighs, "fourteen is really young to send our kids across the country."

"It is," he says. She expects him to argue, but he doesn't, "When the time comes we can discuss it. Tradition in important, but new traditions can always be started closer to home. There are some very good day schools close by."

She smiles, "Okay, We can talk about it when the time comes." He kisses her on the temple, 'Will?"

"What?"

"Tell me all about water polo…"


	6. Chapter 6

Her mother had fainted. Her mother had actually fainted. She had made a scene in the restaurant and fainted. Fainted, as in, someone needed to use smelling salts to wake her up.

It was embarrassing.

They were all back in Lizzie's hometown because Jane had insisted. She and Bing had been married for six months and Lizzie had a suspicion that the reason for the family reunion was a big announcement.

Lizzie and Will had gotten married a month earlier in a small ceremony. They had fought her mother over the size of the wedding (she had wanted to throw the wedding of the century with hundreds and hundreds of guests) but in the end got her to agree to an intimate affair of family and close friends at Darcy's vineyard. They had just returned from a three week honeymoon in South Africa. They had spent one week on safari, one week in wine country and one week on the beach.

It was everything a honeymoon should be and everything she had dreamed of, but now they were back to reality and the reality of the situation was that her mother was passed out on the floor of brunch. She threw back a mimosa and Jane and Dr. Bing helped her mother up after a waiter had provided smelling salts.

The brunch had started the way they usually did. Her mother was being her typical self, raving over something or another, trying to set Lydia up with a rich, single man. Her father was sitting quietly, observing the whole situation with amusement. Lydia was two mimosas deep and Caroline was rolling her eyes. Jane and Bing were starring lovingly at each other. And she and her husband were laughing at their own private jokes.

Everything was perfectly normal until Jane stood up, hand in hand with Bing and announcing that they were expecting their first child.

Before anyone could react, her mother had started to wail, tears pricked the corners of her eyes, "I'm soo-ooohhhh happy! The Lord has been good to us! Oh Loo-oord!" her wails became louder and louder and she worked herself up into a fainting spell.

The entire restaurant had stopped what they were doing and gave their undivided attention to the scene unfolding before them. Her father was unaffected by the whole ordeal, Caroline was horrified and Lydia was somewhere between shocked and trying to hold in a giggle. And Jane and Bing (being the doctor that he was) had sprung into action. She and Darcy had taken to their mimosas.

When she came to, she had apologized for making a scene before giving Jane designs for the nursery. It was all too much to handle.

After finishing her third mimosa (she deserved it, she couldn't handle this brunch sober) she turned to her husband, "when we get pregnant, we're telling her over the phone."

He smirked, "when we get pregnant we're fleeing the country and then telling her over the phone."

"That, dear husband, is an excellent plan."


	7. Chapter 7

"Does this mean you're moving to San Francisco?"

"What?" Lizzie asks looking up from her laptop.

Lydia is standing in the doorway and asks again, "are you moving to San Francisco?"

Lizzie's silent for a moment, "Yeah, I think so."

"Wow, you're really doing this, aren't you, you and Darcy?"

"We really are."

"Lizzie, I know that Darcy's one of the good guys but I want you to be sure that you're not making a mistake," Lydia's never been one to worry, but after everything that's happened, they've all become very protective of each other.

"I'm not," she says, "Lydia, I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I'm going all in."

"Good, because I don't want to see you get hurt like I did."

"Lydia," she says pulling her into a hug, "you don't have to worry about me and Will. I promise."

"Okay," she says giving her sister a squeeze, "I'm really happy for you, just promise you'll invite me to visit."

"Of course. You're always welcome. And Gigi would love to have someone her age to hang out with when she's home. Maybe you could introduce her to sock sliding. There are plenty of huge rooms with marble floors for you to slide all over."

"That sounds nice," she says and they sit in silence for a moment, "you're in this forevs, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm all in. After all the time it took for us to get together, we're not breaking up. We're so different, but we're also essentially the same. Our personalities are so complementary. I wish I hadn't been so blind. To think I could have been this happy months ago."

"Aww you're totes gonna marry him, aren't you?"

"Not right away."

"O.M.G. mom is going to die of happiness."

"Don't say anything to her. If she knows it's inevitable, she'll try to speed up the process through some scheme that will no doubt involve out of wedlock pregnancy."

"Ew, do not start talking about babies and pregnancy. Don't even joke about it. I am not ready for nieces and nephews yet. I am still not over the fact that Lizzie Bennet is no longer perpetually single."

"Lydia," she laughs, "I'm, I'm just really glad you're being supportive of this."

"Why would I not be? How could I not want a super rich and surprisingly super nice brother-in-law? And he's super hot and you guys look great together."

"Lydia!" she scolds.

"What?"

"Nothing, I'm just glad you're okay."

"Lizzie, will you promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Promise me that if you and Darcy decide to run away and get married without telling me, you'll let me know."

She laughs, "of course," and she means it.


	8. Chapter 8

"Daddy?" Anne asked, approaching her father in the kitchen, "why is Mommy crying?"

He contemplated his answer for a moment, "Mommy is very sad."

"Why is she sad?"

"I'll tell you when your brother come down for breakfast."

It was a Saturday morning so they boys were in bed later than usual, but they didn't have to wait long. William came down first. He was still in his pajamas but he had brushed his hair. Thomas and James followed behind, bickering about something, both with disheveled hair.

"I have something very serious to discuss with you." The children looked up with concern, "Your grandfather has died."

"But Pop Pop wasn't sick when we saw him last month," William gasped. At eight, he was able to understand the situation.

"He wasn't sick; he was just old. He died peacefully in his sleep. He lived a long and happy life."

William had started to tear up at the news and his younger brothers followed suit. At six, Thomas knew what death was and he knew that was why he only had one set of grandparents and that was happened to his fish.

"Are you gonna die?" Thomas whimpered.

"Don't die Daddy," Anne cried.

"Don't worry," he said pulling the two of them into a hug, "I'm going to be around for a very long time." James and William joined the hug.

"I think Mommy needs a hug," James said.

"I think so too," Darcy said, "but she is on the phone right now with Aunt Jane. When she's off the phone you can go up and give her a hug. But you have to be on your best behavior. No fighting," he said directing his gaze to his youngest two boys.

"We promise," James told him.

Darcy nodded. He got his children seated at the counter where he made them chocolate chip pancakes.

"Are we going to go and stay with Uncle Bing and Aunt Jane?" William asked shoveling pancake into his mouth.

"Do not speak with your mouth full, but yes. We are going to leave tomorrow and then the funeral will be on Tuesday."

"Can we go see Mommy now?" Anne asked.

He checked his watch, "she should be off the phone by now.' Together they walked upstairs and entered the master bedroom. Lizzie was sitting in bed, exactly where she'd been since Jane had called her hours earlier to tell her the news. He'd sat with her and held her as she cried until Anne came in demanding breakfast.

"Mommy," Anne leapt onto the bed. Her brothers followed and they engulfed their mother in a hug.

"Hi," she said, her voice breaking.

"I'm sorry about Pop Pop," William told her.

"Thank you. I'm sorry too. I already miss him," she said as she held her children.

"Daddy," Anne said, "Come up here." He climbed up onto the bed and into the massive hug. They sat there for a while. Lizzie was stroking Anne's hair and squeezing her husband's hand. As much as they wanted to stay in bed, there were things that needed to be organized.

"Kids, I'm going to put on a movie in the media room for you, okay? Your mother and I need to take care of grown up stuff." They nodded and followed him down.

When he returned, he drew his wife into his arms and kissed her temple, "I'm so sorry," he whispered.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: It's been quite a while since I updated this, so here is a little something.**

"Come on Lizzie. The lift opens in an hour, get up."

"No," she said snuggling deeper under the covers. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand, unlocked it, and showed him the weather, "it's seven degrees out."

"Lizzie, you promised me that we'd actually make it out on the mountain this time," he blushed slightly at the memory of past trips. They had been enjoyable but Darcy longed to make it out on the mountain, even if it was only skiing the easier runs with Lizzie.

"We can go this afternoon, I promise," she looked up at him through her lashes, "just get back into bed with me. Unless you'd rather go out and ski alone while I'm left all alone in this big bed."

He smiled slightly, "No, no. I'd rather spend the day with you, even if it means staying in bed all day.

"I think most boyfriends would rather spend the day with their girlfriends, especially if that meant staying bed all day," she smirked.

"Forgive me, my dear, I would love to spend the morning in bed with you."

"Good," she smiled as he climbed back into bed, "William! Get your cold feet away from me," she giggled as she pushed him away.

He wiggled his way back over and gave her a pick on the lips, "you could warm them up for me."

She chuckled. She loved mornings like this, mornings where they had nowhere to be and could lie in bed all day. After they'd worn each other out, they would spend the day talking, tracing shapes on each other's skin. They would lose track of time, they always did when they were together. The sun would go down or they would realize how hungry they are, and one of them would venture down to the kitchen or order food.

Days like this were rare. He was a workaholic and so was she. Their weekdays were spent at Pemberley Digital and their weekends were just as busy. He would rise early to go on a long bike ride. Then they would go to a farmers market or book fair. And then maybe they'd have lunch with a family member, or brunch with Fitz and Brandon.

"Will, do you really want to leave this warm bed to go face the seven degree weather this afternoon?"

"I would imagine it would be warmer than seven degrees in the heat of the day."

"Do you really want to do ski?" she asked.

"That was the point of coming skiing."

"Please," she groaned, "I'll make you hot chocolate."

"Are you trying to bribe me?" he smirked.

"Is it working?"

"Quite possibly."

She grinned, "Alright William Darcy, you are not going skiing today. You are staying in bed with me all day."

"Okay, Lizzie, anything you say."


	10. Chapter 10

**a/n: sorry for the long hiatus. Life and other fics have gotten in the way. I've written a bunch of chapters for this, but I haven't had the time to type them up, but I will when I get the chance. Enjoy!**

She scrolled back up and read the email again. There was no way that what she was reading could possibly be right, "The Commencement Speaker for the University of California, Meryton class of 2013 will be the CEO of Pemberley Digital William Darcy." There was no mistaking it.

**Lizzie: **_Is there something you need to tell me_

**William: **_Did the email go out today?_

**Lizzie: **_Can I call you? We need to talk about this._

**William: **_I'm on the quiet car of the train. I can only text you, but I can assure you that this was not by design. They asked me. I was going to be attending anyway. I could not say no._

**Lizzie: **_ugh William. How am I supposed to focus on graduating when you are speaking… in formal wear?_

**Lizzie: **_also it will be super awkward to introduce my classmates to my boyfriend when he is the only giving our commencement address_

**William: **_On the bright side, I'll be able to meet Dr. Gardener. I feel like we would have a lot to talk about… media theory, her favorite student_

**Lizzie:** _Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny._

**William: **_I try._

** Lizzie: **_ I hate you_

**William: **___I love you too._

He came to visit her three times before her graduation, skyped with her a few days a week, talked to her on the phone each night, and texted her constantly, but she still had no idea that the theme of his commencement address was. She would try to get it out of him, but her powers of persuasion worked best in person, but seeing him in person meant seeing him in a tie. She always meant to ask him about it, she really did, but once she saw him in a tie, she couldn't keep her hands off of him. The visits were always short, so she didn't want to waste time talking, especially when there were so many better uses for their mouths.

The day of the graduation, William's flight was delayed. He had no time to stop by Lizzie's house before the ceremony, so the first time she would see him was during his speech.

She didn't hear a single word from the university president; she was focused on the man seated behind the podium, the man being introduced. He was wearing the same tie he wore on her birthday. She suddenly felt hot despite the spring breeze. She shifted in the folding chair. He looked directly at her as he adjusted his tie and walked up to the podium. She lowered her gaze. She couldn't sit there, not with him staring at her like that.

"Follow your dreams. Make bold choices. Create new things," he began, "I'm sure you have received this advice a multitude of times during your lives, but that does not make it any less true. Some of you are continuing your journey to academia. Some of you are about to start new jobs, some of you for my company and some of you are creating your own jobs."

She could feel his gaze on her. A warm feeling spread through her, he was talking about her. She uncrossed and recrossed her legs. On stage, he fingered his tie as he continued.

"Regardless of your plans after graduation, you are entering the world at a unique time. The world is smaller than ever before and you, as students of the Graduate School of Communication, will have a role in shaping this small world. With digital media, you will shape the landscape of storytelling and how ideas are exchanged."

He was doing this on purpose; she was sure of it. His address seemed personally tailored to her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She tried to tune out the soothing sound of his voice. The speech would be on YouTube eventually. She had to focus on making it through her graduation. Then she could take him somewhere private and rip that stupid tie from his neck. And then he could congratulate her properly on her graduation.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: this is just a quick scene from Bing and Darcy in college. Thank you so much for being patient. **

"Come on Darcy. Come enjoy the party," Bing said. Darcy was seated in the entrance hall watching television and nursing a beer.

"I'm fine where I am." Behind him, music was playing in the darkened room.

"Aw, come on. You don't even like hockey all that much. There are tons of beautiful girls here and you're sitting and watching TV."

"Bing. I have no interest in dancing with girls from BU."

"Don't be such a snob. They are beautiful girls. You don't have to dance. Just come up and hang out at the bar."

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?"

"Not until you come. I've got a couple of girls up there. It will be fun."

"Fine, but only so you'll leave me alone."

Bing grinned. He sighed as he got off the couch. He was comfortable and the game was interesting. Hockey was not his favorite sport, but he had grown to love the Bruins since he'd been at school.

He loved school, and he loved the Phoenix. He really did, even during these awful themed mixers. Tonight they were supposed to be loggers while the girls were dressed as joggers. Bing was particularly festive in short shorts, a pair of suspenders, a flannel and a hard hat. While he wasn't as festive as his friend, he did have on a flannel and suspenders.

Despite the outfit, he did not feel out of place. The Phoenix felt like home. Seventy-two Mt. Auburn Street felt like home. It was a comfort. The signatures of his father, grandfather, and other past generations of Darcy men adorned the walls.

It had a sense of history – it hadn't really changed since its inception. Even the art on the walls was at old as the building itself. The paintings of men on horses and foxhunts looked like they belonged in a country home in England, not a glorified frat house in the center of Cambridge.

"Darcy, there are my friends," Bing said as they entered the upstairs bar, "this is Kate, and Emily, and Jenny."

"Hi," they giggled.

"It's nice to meet you," Darcy said heading back to sit behind the bar. Emily and Kate sat at the bar. Their dark hair was messy beneath their jogging headbands. Jenny was sprawled on the leather benches. Above her hung paintings of naked women. There was no denying that the Phoenix was a boys' club. The room itself smelled heavily of cigar smoke. This was partially from his friends in the other room and partially from the years of back room deals in this smoke filled room.

Even the cigar smoke was a course of comfort. He leaned back and sipped his beer as Bing flirted with the girls. It wasn't as if he couldn't flirt, he just had no interest in girls from lesser schools.

Bing asked them about their majors and their interests and hobbies. He was always so polite, so personable. He was liked by just about everyone he met.

"Bing, I have a headache," he said when there was a lull in the conversation, "I'm going to leave."

"Don't go!" Jenny said looking at him hungrily.

"Darce- come on. Don't leave."

"I have a headache. I just want to go to sleep."

"Fine," Bing said, "it's your loss. Right ladies?"

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he disappeared down a back staircase, leaving Bing to entertain the ladies.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter has taken so long, but it's over three thousand words and I've been busy with final exams. This doesn't fit in the same universe as the previous one-shots, but I thought this was the best place to put it. It gets kind of medically so consider yourself warned. Enjoy!**

It was an unusually hot day in July when she started feeling sick, well, more started feeling off. She blamed the heat at first, but the uneasy feeling in her stomach remained after the temperature dropped. She was bloated and achy and nauseous, especially in the morning. She decided that something was wrong. At first, she thought she was just experiencing a severe case of PMS, but when she checked her calendar, she knew it was impossible.

Her period was three weeks late.

It had to be a mistake. She was on birth control, just got back on birth control. She checked her calendar in a moment of panic – she missed her last appointment for her birth control shot. The reason she opted for shots was because with all the stress of starting her company, she couldn't remember to take her birth control pills.

She had to be pregnant. There wasn't another explanation. Bile rose in back of the throat and she vomited into the sink. She wasn't sure if it was morning sickness or if she was just so repulsed at the thought of being pregnant. What were they going to do with a baby? It was too early in their relationship for this happen.

It had been just over four months. She realized she had to talk to William. No, she had to confirm the pregnancy first. There was no use getting William worked up over nothing. She knew he boyfriend well, knew he would pull his mother's ring out of his safe deposit box the second she told him. He was always so morally upright. He would do the right thing and marry her as quickly as possible. And that was scary. Gig had told her about the ring one night at karaoke when they'd both had too much to drink, but she never thought she would need to think about that for another year – at least another year. She knew it was hers – it had been for a while according to Gigi. Once William sets his sights on something there is no changing his mind.

She rinsed her mouth with mouthwash before she grabbed her bag and headed down the stairs of her studio apartment. When she moved to San Francisco two months ago, she had instead on having her own place. She had slept there a total of three times in the past two months. She really only used it as a closet, and sometimes, as a production office. She used it as her office, but at the end of the day, found herself driving to William's massive townhouse. It felt more like home than her place. It was the place where he was raised and the place he would likely insist on raising this child.

She went to the drug store two blocks from her normal shop just in case a cashier remembered her. She purchased a pregnancy test and a bottle of sparkling water. She had reached for a bottle of diet coke before she realized that if she is pregnant, she shouldn't be drinking diet coke.

She practically ran home. She drank the water as fast she could and within minutes, she took the test. As she waited the allotted time, she splashed cold water on her face and tried to keep from shaking. When her phone beeped, she picked up the test with shaking hands. There were definitely two pink lines. She was pregnant. She dropped the test before emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. It was positive. She was pregnant. There was going to be a baby. There was something growing inside her that was half her and half William. She was terrified at the idea of a child, someone completely dependent on her for survival, but a small part, one she doesn't acknowledge until months later, was secretly thrilled at the idea of having something that belongs to just her and William.

Her hands shook as she picked up her phone from the counter and scrolled to the familiar contact. She pressed send and prayed he wasn't in a meeting.

"William Darcy," he answered.

"Will," her voice broke.

"Lizzie, what's wrong?" he asked, a panic settling in over his voice.

"I-I need you to come over."

"Lizzie, please," he pleaded, "tell me what's wrong."

"I-I-I will. I just don't want to do it over the phone."

"Alright," he told her, "I will be there in twenty minutes."

The drive from Pemberley to her apartment took at least thirty minutes, but she said, "okay.' The tears had started to fall and she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Do you want me to stay on the phone with you?"

"No, no. Just, get, here, so, we, can, talk. And Will, please, please, drive safely."

"Okay. And Lizzie, I love you so much."

"I know. And- I- love- you- too."

He arrived in just over twenty minutes. He used his key to enter the studio. He found her leaning against the bathtub, her face covered in tears and snot.

"Lizzie, what's wrong?" And then he saw it. The pregnancy test was on the floor, the two pink lines visible to him, "You're pregnant." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," she said.

He took her into his arms, picked her off the floor and put her down gently on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried, his hands rubbing circles on her back. She cried and he held her until she couldn't cry anymore.

"Are you mad?" she finally asked.

"Mad? Lizzie, did you honestly think that I would be mad?" His expression was soft.

She shrugged, "I don't know. It's my fault. I forgot to get my shot. I'm really, really sorry. This sucks. It's too early."

"I know, I know. But Lizzie, this isn't your fault. We should have been more careful. I promise you that everything is going to be okay."

"No," she said sitting up, "you can say that because everything is going to be okay for you. You have Pemberley Digital. You have a career and life. I won't be able to. Lizzie Bennet Production is just getting off the ground. I have investors and we are supposed to start filming soon. And no I am going to have to give it all up just because I missed a doctor's appointment." She had gotten herself worked up again.

"Lizzie," he said gently grabbing her face, "listen to me. You don't have to give anything up – not if you don't want to. We will make this work. We can get married, if you'd like," he said cautiously. He would marry her in an instant, baby or not, but he wasn't certain she felt the same. "We will make it work. That is a promise Lizzie Bennet."

"It's not fair though, because I want this, but I want this five years from now."

''Five years from now would have been perfect, but life isn't fair and things aren't perfect. But I promise you that I am going to make this work. You'll officially move in, none of this keeping an apartment for show, and we will do this together. And then, when the baby is born, we'll have a nanny if you'd like. We can get Mrs. Annelsey. She took care of Gigi and me as children. She is sweet old woman. And we can turn the forth floor into an office for you and you can continue with your company."

"It's not just that though," she sniffled, "I wanted to be married before we did all of this. As silly as it sounds, I wanted my father to walk me down the aisle. And I wanted everyone to know that I was marrying you because I love you more than anything and there is no one I would rather spend the rest of my life with. I don't want people thinking we only got married because I got pregnant. I never wanted to be the girl who got pregnant out of wedlock. I used to judge those girls. And now everyone is going to judge me. You know that people are going to say I got pregnant to trap you."

"Why does it matter what people think?"

"Because, if I've learned anything over the last year, it's that the internet is permanent. And one day, our kids is going to Google his parents and see everything that people on the Internet had to say about his parents. "

"Lizzie. If you child Googles us, negative comments about this would be the least of our worries," he smiled.

She wanted to smile, but she couldn't, "but still."

"Lizzie. I know that the timing is terrible and you're unhappy, but we can do this."

"Okay. Okay. Shit. We have so much to do. Tomorrow, we have to find a doctor and then we need to baby-proof and I need prenatal vitamins and we need to go to a parenting class and a birthing class."

"Shh. Shh," he said stroking her hair, "one step at a time. Right now, we are going to order something for lunch. And then we are going to take a nap. Then, tomorrow, we are going to a make a doctors appointment and we are going to take it from there."

"Okay."

"Now," he said taking out his phone, "what do you want me to order for lunch?"

"I don't know. My stomach doesn't feel right, so just order me something plain."

"What if I order Italian? I'll order you plain pasta and garlic bread."

When the food arrived, he ate his eggplant parm beside her as she picked at her noodles. There wasn't a table in the apartment so they crawled beneath the covers and ate their take-out. She fell asleep in his arms, but he could not sleep.

He wasn't used to taking naps, and besides, she had been very stressed recently. She hadn't been sleeping. He checked it watch; it was late enough in the afternoon that she could sleep through the night. He ran his fingers through her hair. He had no idea how this had happened. Even though she was on birth control, he did use condoms frequently. Although, it could have happened any of the times they did it in the shower. He loved the feeling of being bare inside of her. It was rather selfish of him. But, it didn't matter how they got into this situation. It didn't matter now; they had to deal with it.

But, this shouldn't be something that had to be dealt with. This should be happening years in the future. It should have been planned and desperately wanted. Any tears should be happy tears. He was 29; he could handle a child at this point in his life, even if he wasn't entirely prepared. But Lizzie is only 25. She had spent her entire adult life in school. She had just graduated and was starting her life and her career. And this wasn't fair to her. She deserved a big wedding and a romantic honeymoon and when they got pregnant, it was supposed to have been on purpose.

He thought back to the ring in the safe deposit box. She deserved a proposal, a grand romantic gesture. None of it felt real. He thought that maybe if he went to sleep, he would wake up in his bed and she wouldn't be pregnant.

When he woke up the next morning, nothing had changed. She was sleeping. He snuck out to get bagels. She had barely been living in her apartment and didn't have any food. When he returned, she was sitting up in bed on her laptop.

"Good morning," he said handing her the bag, "I got you a bagel. I'm not sure if you're hungry." He placed a kiss on her temple before crawling into bed next to her.

"Maybe I'll have a couple of bites," she frowned, "I found a doctor, but they can't get me in for a few days."

"What practice?' he asked, taking a bite of his own bagel.

"Johnson & Li"

"If we go to Rothschild & Stern I can get us in today. Dr. Rothschild was a friend of my mother."

"Okay," she said, "Can you make the call?"

He excused himself to make the call. When he returned, she was still sitting on the bed.

"We have an appointment at one."

"That sounds good. And William. I'm okay with this now, well I'm not okay but I'm going to deal. I mean the timing sucks and I get that, but we are going to have a baby."

He smiled, "I know. And we're going to be just fine."

"I know. God, my mother is going to have a field day with this."

"As will Gigi. And probably Fitz."

Six hours later, they were sitting in the waiting room. Lizzie was squeezing his hand and tapping her foot. She was nervous. So was he. But he was trying to be brave about this whole thing. She was the one who had to endure all of this.

"Elizabeth," the nurse said, "you can go into exam room three. The doctor will be with you shortly."

They sat in the exam room and Lizzie changed into a paper gown on the nurse's order. The nurse took a sample of her blood for another sample pregnancy test.

After a few minutes, Dr. Rothschild entered. She was looking over a clipboard, her mouth drawn into a thin line.

"William, it's good to see you. It's been far too long," she said giving him a hug, "How is Georgiana?"

"She is doing well. She just finished her junior year and she just wrapped a project for Pemberley."

"Wonderful. And this is your girlfriend? Miss. Elizabeth Bennet."

"Nice to meet you," Lizzie said as she shifted. Her bladder was uncomfortably full for the ultrasound and she felt exposed in her paper gown.

"And you were here today to confirm a pregnancy?"

"I took a test at home, but we wanted to make sure."

"Well," she said gazing at the chart through her glasses, "your blood sample contained pregnancy hormones, but the amount was abnormal. Are you taking any medications?"

"No. I was taking depo provera but I missed my appointment this month."

"Have you ever been pregnant or have a history of miscarriage?"

"No to both."

"Do you smoke?"

"No."

"And you're 25?"

"Yes."

"Have you experienced nausea or general discomfort?"

"Yes, I've had some morning sickness. And I've been achy and bloated."

Dr. Rothschild frowned, "I'm going to give you an ultrasound to see what is going on. Lay back please."

She leaned back and grabbed William's hand. She clenched it as Dr. Rothschild spread the cold gel across her stomach.

"Just relax," she told her. Darcy stroked her hair as Dr. Rothschild stared intently at the screen.

"What are you seeing?" he asked, "Can we hear the heartbeat?"

"Unfortunately there is no heartbeat. I'm sorry."

"What?" Lizzie asked. The doctor cleaned the gel from her stomach.

"You should use the restroom and then I will explain."

Lizzie nodded before hopping off the table to empty her uncomfortably full bladder. When she returned, she found William pacing nervously. Dr. Rothschild was waiting for her. She hopped back on the table and grabbed his hand.

"What you are experiencing is a molar pregnancy."

"I don't know what that is."

"A sperm fertilized an egg that didn't contain any genetic material. Your body is producing pregnancy hormones and your uterus is expanding but you are not actually pregnant. That is why you have been experiencing pregnancy symptoms.

"What is the treatment?" William asked. He was trying to hide the panic in his voice, but it was evident to Lizzie.

"There are two options. The first, I would presume is not an option for you. It would be a hysterectomy."

"No, I want children. What is the other option?"

"We are going to check you into UCSF hospital for a minor surgical procedure. You'll be under anesthesia and they'll remove the tissue that has been growing. It is a procedure done for incomplete miscarriages. Then after, I am going to give you a very strong dose of depo provera. You'll be good for six months, but you will have to return for screenings monthly. If left untreated, this can turn into cancer."

At the mention, Lizzie gasped and squeezed William's hand even harder.

"Don't worry. Even if it does develop, it is entirely treatable. Even you have to undergo chemotherapy, you should be able to conceive without a problem."

"Okay," she said. She felt like she was going to vomit, "is this common?"

"No. In fact it is incredibly rare for women under the age of thirty five."

"Oh," she said, "what does that mean for me?"

"It is probably a freak occurrence and not an indication of any deeper problem, but when you are thinking about starting a family, you'll want to come in for some fertility checks."

"And what about now?" William asked.

"We'll need to do this procedure today. It needs to be done as soon as possible."

"Okay," she said, her voice trembling.

"I'll go make some calls. I'll be back in a few minutes with the details of the arrangement."

"William, I'm really scared," she said as he eyes filled with tears.

"I am too," he said enveloping her in a hug, "but it's going to be okay." He was stroking her hair with one hand and rubbing her back with the other.

Dr. Rothschild had returned and told them to meet her at UCSF Hospital. They stopped home to grab comfortable clothes for her to stay overnight and her laptop for her to do work if she was feeling up to it.

He paced the hall while she was in surgery. She had begged him not to call anyone. He knew she was embarrassed by an out of wedlock pregnancy, but that didn't mean she had to do this alone. Well, she had him, but she needed Jane or Lydia, or even her mother, or Charlotte. He could try and relate, but he simply couldn't. She was experiencing all of it, while he was powerless to watch and powerless to understand what she must have been feeling. Anything he felt would be nothing compared to how she must be feeling. Even if the pregnancy was unplanned, miscarriage leaves psychological scars.

He worried too about their future plans to conceive. It was too early to be worrying about that, it was too early to be worrying about this, but they were. If this happen at twenty-five, at the height of her child-bearing years, how would things be if they tried to have a baby when she was thirty, the age she had casually mentioned to him as the time she wanted to have children.

The surgery was completed without any complications and he was allowed to sit with Lizzie until she woke up. When she did wake, "I love you" was the first thing out of her mouth, "I love you so much," she repeated.

He squeezed her hand and expressed the same sentiment. For now, all was well. There would be time to worry about the future later.


	13. Chapter 13

"Would you be mad if I didn't change my last name?" she asked rolling over in bed to face him.

He propped himself up on his elbow and met her gaze, "I had just assumed that you would keep your last name."

"Oh," she said.

"Changing your name would probably be bad for business. Your name is your brand. I never thought that you would change your name, at least professionally."

"I didn't realize you put so much thought into it," she said twisting the engagement ring on her finger, "I just started thinking about it."

"Well then, what are your thoughts?"

She bit her lip, "You're right about keeping my name professionally. But I think I might legally want to change my name."

He paused, trying to think of how he would phrase this without offending her, "Lizzie, you don't have to change your name for me."

"I know. But I wouldn't be changing it for you. I would be changing it because I like the idea of having one family name and I would like to be a Darcy. I want to have the same last name as my children, I really want to be Mrs. Darcy."

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips, "If that's what you would like to do, that would make me very happy. But I only want you to do it if you're certain."

"Yes, Will, I'm certain."

He grinned, "thank you. I know you're not doing it for me, but it means a lot nonetheless."

"It will be nice," she said snuggling into his chest, "even if it does give my mother exactly what she wanted."

"Complain about your mother all you like, but she's only ever wanted the best for you. She wants you to be happy, even if she shows it in unconventional ways."

"I know, and I am, happy, I mean. I have never been so happy in my life. I don't even care if my mother commandeers our wedding plans and puts me in some poufy gown meant for a southern belle. I would marry you in my underwear or sweats. I just want to marry you."

"Elizabeth, although a wedding in your underwear sounds appealing, I won't let your mother force you into anything you don't want. It's your day, not hers"

"I know, but it makes her so happy, so I'm going to humor her. I'm just going to make sure that I don't behave the same way when it comes to our children."

At the mention of their children, his eyes lit up, "I love you so much."

"I love you too."


	14. Chapter 14

"What's on the agenda today?" Lizzie asked from bed. William had just entered the room with a tray of breakfast. He put it at the foot of the bed before climbing in next to his girlfriend of nearly six months.

"Well," he said taking a sip of coffee, "I need to go pick up some new dress shirts because someone keeps stealing them for sleepwear."

She looked down at the one she was currently wearing. It was blue and custom made to fit his body. It smelled like him and had his monogram, wDf, on the pocket. She had stolen at least six of his shirts in the time they had been dating, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"If you'd like. Are you sure you won't be bored?"

"No, it will be fun. And besides, I want to see the source of the shirts I love so much."

"Alright. I have an appointment with the shirt maker at noon. Maybe afterwards we could go for a walk and stop for lunch at the farmer's market. It's a beautiful day."

"That sounds delightful William. But first, I have to shower. Would you care to join me?"

He grinned, "have I ever said no to a shower with you, Lizzie?"

"No, but there's a first time for everything."

The shower at the house was larger, larger than the kitchen at Lizzie's apartment, which she abandoned a few months ago. It had marble floors, a large Jacuzzi tub, his and hers sinks and all of the amenities imaginable. The shower in particular, had a large bench, which they made frequent use of.

When they finished their shower, Lizzie braided her wet hair and put on a sundress and cardigan. He was dressed in khakis and a polo, his hair still wet from the shower.

"Lizzie," he said checking his watch, "we took a little too long in the shower and I fear that we are going to be late, hurry up."

"I'm ready," she said grabbing her purse, "and besides, it's your fault we took too long in the shower."

They arrived at the shirt maker right on time. The tailor was an older gentleman who made quick work of taking William's measurements. As he measured William, Lizzie sat and looked at the fabric options. There was an endless amount of designs to choose from. She knew that William was partial to the more traditional options, but she found herself stopped on the page of a lobster pattern.

"Have you selected from fabrics for me?" Darcy asked as he approached.

"I like this one," she said holding up the book of options, "but I'm not sure if you could wear it to work."

"Probably not," he said with a sliver of a grin on his face, but I would love to wear it if you really like it

"I do, like it." She smiled at him.

"Then it's settled. I will get this along with my typical order." He paused, "you know, you could get some shirts made up if you'd like."

"No, I'd rather just steal yours," she said with a cheeky grin.


	15. Chapter 15

**Wow. It's been a long time since I've updated this. Sorry about that. This is for the Lizzie Bennet Diaries ficathon. Prompt #5: the first time William introduces Lizzie as his wife.**

They're on a plane of all places, when they run into her. He hasn't seen her in a decade, so of course she is in the seat right across the aisle from them on their way to their honeymoon.

"William Darcy!" she cries, her sweet southern drawl echoing through the first class cabin, "Fancy seein' you here. What has it been, ten years?"

"Just about," He answers, "Lee, this is my wife Elizabeth. Lizzie, this is Lee Edington. We went to school together." He realizes that this is the first time he has introduced Lizzie to anyone as his wife. A warm feeling spreads over him. He feels proud and a little bit giddy.

"It's nice to meet you," Lizzie says waving from her window seat, "which school did you go to together? William always just says school so I never can tell."

"We were at Harvard together. Now William, I didn't know you were married. When was the weddin'?"

"Yesterday."

"Well then, I owe y'all some congratulations."

"Thank you. What are you doing in San Francisco?"

"I was coming back from a meetin' in China and I decided to spend a few days here. Do you remember Caroline O'Malley from school?"

"She was an art history major, right? She had the short brown bob?"

"Exactly! Well, she and I became dear friends after we left school, when we were livin' in New York. She just moved to San Francisco and I went to see her apartment."

In the seat next to him, Lizzie made a point of flipping the page of her book loudly enough to get Will's attention.

"Lee, I don't mean to be rude, but I am headed on my honeymoon and I fear I'm neglecting my new wife."

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. I need to take a sleeping pill anyway before we take off. Congratulations again!"

"Thank you," he said turning back to Lizzie and engaging her in conversation about their honeymoon plan.

Later, when they hear the snores from across the aisle, she asks the question she has wanted to ask since she heard the cry of "William Darcy" in a southern drawl not dissimilar to her mother's.

"William, is she an ex-girlfriend?"

He expected the question, after all, no one really calls him William, but he still stumbles, "No, well, sort of. Not entirely. She was a fling."

"A fling?" Lizzie quirks an eyebrow because having a fling is not exactly something she would have expected from her husband.

'Alright, we dated but we were never official. She comes from an old southern family and her mother was encouraging her to get back with an old boyfriend so she could marry him and unite their families. She was feeling rebellious and decided to set her eyes on a northern boy, particularly a liberal one, to anger her mother. You see, her family is old tobacco money and everyone in her family had gone to Ole Miss but her."

"Choosing Harvard over Ole Miss normally wouldn't cause a scandal."

"No, but it did with her."

"Okay, and so what does she do now?"

"Last I heard, she was a lawyer protecting her family's tobacco interests."

"I take it you and liberalism were just a phase."

"Yes."

"Good. I would hate to think you could have ended up with someone that reminds me so much of my mother."


	16. Chapter 16

**Written for prompt #15 of the LBD ficathon. Enjoy!**

"Come on Lizzie," Jane said, blushing, but continuing Lydia's line of questioning. "I told you about Bing, so what's Darcy like in bed?"

"I'm not discussing this. End of story." She said crossing her arms.

"Lame!" Lydia said. "First you won't drink with us and now you won't give us Darcy deets. This is a bachelorette party for God's sake."

They were all out at a restaurant, in a private room, to celebrate Jane's bachelorette party. Two years after they got back together, he had asked her to marry him and she had said yes through a stream of happy tears. As maid matron of honor, she had planned a classy bachelorette party that, to Lydia's dismay, lacked male strippers. The lack of strippers had bored Lydia and led to her asking her sisters very personal questions.

"Lizzie, I told you about Bing," Jane's face was still red, but at this point, it was probably from the alcohol more than embarrassment. She wasn't used to having more than a glass of wine or two, but Lydia had convinced her to take shots.

"But I didn't ask you about Bing, Lydia did. I was perfectly content not knowing about your sex life," Lizzie reasoned.

"Ugh," Lydia said, "I know, but I'm not getting any hot mancake action. And Lizzie, you're married. I mean you beat Jane and Bing to the altar by like a year so you're totes obvs in love and hot and heavy. And come on Lizzie, you and Darcy had some crazy serious sexual tension and we want to know how that translates to the bedroom."

"You're not going to stop, are you?" Lizzie asked shaking her head. Once Lydia was set on something, there was no stopping her.

"No. Of course not, silly," Jane drunkenly giggled. "It's only fair. I told you alllll about Bing."

Lizzie sighed and looked at the rest of the group. It's a mixture of Jane's friends from school and work and they're all in various states of intoxication and she soon realized that no one was paying attention to the sisters. They were all devouring their deserts and talking amongst themselves. "Fine."

"Yay!" Lydia squealed, accidentally spilling some of her drink on her shirt.

"I am very satisfied with my sex life." Her sisters stared at her, imploring her to go on. "Ugh. We have sex constantly, okay?" She hoped that would satisfy them. Despite all this time, she was still squeamish about talking about her sex life. She wasn't shy, but she had already shared so much of her relationship with William on the Internet that she wanted to keep something things private.

"How much is constantly?" Jane asked, raising an eyebrow. Lydia mimicked her expression.

"At least once a day."

"Damn sis. I am glad to hear you're getting banged every day." Lydia was impressed, really impressed. She supposed it made of for that period of perpetually single-dom.

"Thank you Lydia."

"But you still haven't answered the question, not really. What is Darcy like in bed?" Lydia was not satisfied, not at all.

"Umm, good. I'm not sure what you want me to say. He's very attentive to my needs and athletic. I'm very happy." She blushed just thinking about it.

"Okay. Okay. Thank you, Lizzie. Now I have one more question." She had a wicked grin on her face.

"What?"

"How big is Darcy's dick?" she giggled out loudly, spilling the rest of her drink.

"Lydia! I will not answer that question!" Lizzie said throwing her hands up in the air in frustration.

"Oh come on, I don't need exact measurements. Can you estimate?" Lydia pressed on.

"No."

"Fine, then compare it to something." Lydia was not going to give up without an answer to her question.

"Lydia, I will absolutely not answer that question." Lizzie said with finality.

"Ugh. You're no fun." Lizzie shot her a venomous look, "Fine, fine. Then tell us… hmmm... tell us why you're not drinking tonight!"

Lizzie blanched. She hadn't anticipated this. She was drinking seltzer with lime and thought she had been fooling people. "I just don't feel like it."

"Ugh. I knew marriage had made you lame. Jane, promise me you won't get suddenly super lame when you and Bing tie the knot."

"I promise."

"Pinky promise?" Lydia leaned closer to Jane and put out her pinky.

"Of course." Jane said with a sweet smile and took her pinky with hers.

"Guys," Lizzie said, interrupting them, "not to be a party pooper, but I'm really tired. I'm going to go home."

"Ugh you suck," Lydia said.

"No, it's fine. Lizzie, if you're tired go home and sleep." Jane reassured her.

"Alright Jane, but I totally think she's skipping out early to get some, right sis?" Lydia winked.

"Absolutely not!" Lizzie said, "I would never leave a party, especially a family party to 'get some'."

"Whatever Lizzie," Lydia said rolling her eyes. "We can just pretend that Thanksgiving didn't happen last year."

"I told you. Our dog was sick, that's why we left early." She defended, a blush rising on her cheeks.

"Whatever you say," Lydia laughed and winked at her.

"Alright. I'm leaving. Goodnight guys. Text me when you guys get home so I know you're safe."

"Will do," they said as Lizzie walked away before they dissolved into giggles.

"She's totally leaving to get laid." Lydia smiled.

"Of course," Jane agreed with a laugh.


	17. Chapter 17

**Written for the LBD ficathon. Prompt #31: William Darcy walks his little sister down the aisle.**

"Gigi, you look beautiful," he said as she left the dressing room. The rest of the bridal party had already left the hotel in a limo for the church, and he was there to escort her into theirs. "Just wait until he sees you."

"Thank you, William." She said. She looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her look before. Her dark hair was intricately pinned under her veil. Her dress was a traditional ball gown with the buttons from her mother's wedding gown. Her makeup was impeccable and timeless diamond earrings decorated her ears.

"Mom and Dad would be so proud of you," he told her with a sad smile.

"I know they would." She smiled back, "I wish they were here. They should be here. I guess they're here in spirit though, or at least that's what I like to think."

"Me too," he said, "I do have something for you that's from them in a sense." He pulled a jewelry box from his inner jacket pocket.

"Oh, William, it's beautiful. Can you put in on me?" She turned around and lifted the back of her veil from him.

As he put the necklace around her neck, he told her where it came from. "I had it commissioned out of Mom and Dad's wedding bands." The platinum and diamond pedant sparkled on her neck, adding to the beauty of her ensemble. It suited her perfectly.

"Oh William," she said, tears pricking the corners of her eyes and her voice cracking, "what a wonderful present."

"I thought that since I got Mom's engagement ring and Dad's watch that you should get a piece of jewelry that represents both of them."

She whipped the tears from her cheeks, making sure they didn't leave tracks on her makeup. "William. I'm going to ruin my makeup right before my wedding. Now come on, let's get in the limo. I'd hate to be late to my own wedding." She said holding out her arm for William to take.

He escorted her into the limo and they sat in silence in fear that they would cry if they spoke any more about their parents. It was hard. Despite all the years that had passed since their deaths, they still felt the pain of being orphaned. Their absence was felt most acutely at event like this, events that their parents should have been there for. Their parents should have been there for their graduations, William's wedding, the births of his children, and now, Gigi's wedding.

The photographer snapped a picture as they exited the limo outside the church on a picturesque tree-lined street. It was the church where William married Lizzie and the church that their parents were married in. She squeezed his hand hard as they ascended the stairs into the church.

"Are you ready?" he asked her.

"Absolutely."

And the wedding march began to play as he escorted his baby sister down the aisle. With each step, he could see her smile grow as she looked down the aisle at the man she was going to marry.


End file.
